Fulcrum type bottle cap lifter



Oct. 7, 1952 y R, C, DRE|ER 2,612,800

FULCRUM TYPE BOTTLE CAP LIFTER Filed March 9, 1946 Patented Oct. 7, 1952 fir-FICE yRay C'. Dreier, Qhicago, Ill.,v assignorgto Vaughan Mg- Co., Ghicago. 1.1L, acci-poration ot Illinois Application Marek 9, 1946A dexia/1.. N0- Qr.

8 Claims. 1

This, invention relates to bottle openers ofl the type designed for prying offl a bottle cap of the faniliar oroWnv type. `One object of the invention to provide a simple structure economical to manufacture and or attraetive appearance.

Another object of the invention is to prov-ide a bottle openeradapted to serve also as an advertising device and for that purpose provided with a display surface which is prominently exposed when the device is ina position for use.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a bottle opener adapted particularly to be made of bent wire and having a body outline to which a display panel may be attached to render the device suitable for display or advertising purposes in addition to serving its mechanical function as an opener.

More specifically, the invention provides a simple form of bottle opener constructed preferably of heavy bent wire stock and havingv a portion formed to receive a crown cap which provides a suitable hat area for display purposes, said c ap being located in a posit-ion to aiord a bearing surface for the thumb of the user in the operation of the opener.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description taken in connection with'the drawingsin which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the bottle opener embodying this invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view of the opener shown in Figs, 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view taken as in,- dicated at line 4-4 on Fig. 2 and on a larger scale; e

Fig. 5 is a top plan View of a blanlg ofvsneet metal for the construction of a mod iiied 4fern-1 of opener embodying the invention;

Fgo is e. fragmentary ion Plon View ,oisoid medined form of the invention with part-.sproken away; v

Fis. 'I is e fragmentary bottoni pien viewoi ,the seme;

Fiel 8 is a side elevation of seid mooineo forro. with e bottle oep applied thereto end shown, in section;

Fie- 91s en eno elevation oi the devioeshown in Fie 8 but with the oep shown in seotionos indie cated at yline 9 9 on Fiel 6 3; A

Fig. 10 is a side elevtional. view similarto Fis.. 8 showing another modification oi invention;

Fig. 1.1 is e bottoni. knien view oi the. iornishovvn in Fig. 10.

For the removal. oiv the conventional orownoap it is necessary to eoevivlemeens which will apply QIQB, te, the lower edge off the depending sk-iri-or flange of; the cap in a direction tol withdraw the cap f rorn the neck; or the bottle. The opener to wljii'cliv this. invention relates is provided with means to engage -thelower edge o r the bottle cap and with means vspaced therefrom to serve as a fulcruin resting upon thel top of the bottle cap near one side thereof, together with a handle ext-endingqI` rigidly in a lateral' direction, preferabIv inthe plone vor the 'bottle een As shown in Figs. 1 tot, suon a `device is foi-'ined of heavy Wire stoekbent to Provide e noie of speeed, erenate v.portions It), [Q which may be referred `to as the body' ofP the tool andnfrorln. which there depend the boss I2., i2 vvnien eve eonneoted et their levver endsby an integral crossbar- I4 seen most clearly in Fig- 4. At the other side of the body formed by theI curved parts III, IIJ. the Wire is bent downwardly at IG. I and thence laterally in the form of an elongated loopl I8 which constitutes the handle.

I'he right angle bends at gil, 20 which are the junctions between the handle I8 and the two vertioalparts I6, I5 provide a fulcrui'nv at which the tool bears upon the top surface of the cap indicatedin ldotted outline 'at A in Fig. 2 When the tooll is placed in position for use. "The crossbar L4 has o pair of: nibs, or lues 22, Z2 pressed kfrom the material in a position to extend just under the skirt or flange ,or the ape A as seen in Fig. 2 and with the tool in this position the handle I8 entends with its under surface substantially in the plane oi the top of the bottle een 'A. With the tool 'G'.huSapplied it, will be evident that downward pressure upon. ,the k,l1/indie i8 will rook the opener about ,the folornrnet 211- 2U. so. as to prv the eer e from the bottle neel; at one side, thus releasing its eno uren the bottle se the/tit oen be reooilrremoveof 'the bent Wire forni thus ier olesoribed nicht be used to perform this. operation.. but preferably there is added to the Dent Wire' torni: o thumb# piece wllolinieybe'intne forno of o typical orown can 24 pressed onto the erogate boor members 111.19 os-.snovvnin theorovvnes. ,The oep 2s tls presents an upwardly exposed not sorfeoe 2i which is conveniently positioned to serve as tearing aree. tor the thumb of the oser Whenmthe handle ei the opener; is eres/red oy the iineesifn natural. position. the infinit is thus 1o.- ooteo opontne ton suriooe zo of the oar. 2,4., the opener will teeasiiy and naturally operated ons watermolen ma benoemen-tron ifa were neldotherwise in the henocarried by the surface 26 will be advantageously displayed and repeatedly noticed .or subconsciously noted so as to have the desired cumulative effect in impressing the trade .name or slogan upon the memory. It will be evident that the display surface for this purpose need not be` provided by a conventional or typical bottle ca'p but that a disc of any suitable material may be clinched onto the body portion of the tool in place of the bottle cap illustrated in the drawing.

Fig. 5 and the remaining views of the drawing show structures adapted to be manufactured from sheet metal instead of vfrom bent wire.v The blank shown in Fig.l 5 includes a substantially circular body portion 3E! having a lug 32 at one side and a neck portion 34 extending from the opposite side and connecting the body portion 30 with therhandle 36. As seen in Fig. 8, the part 32 is bent downwardly at right angles to the circular body portion 3U and the part 34 also is bent downwardly while the handle 36 extends horizontally in a plane yparallel to that ofA the body 38. The right angle bend at 38 forming the junction between the part 34 and the handle 36 provides the iulcrum which is to rest upon the bottle cap, and the lug 32 is formed with a terminal nib 4i! adapted to engage under the iiange o f the bottle cap which is to be removed. Y.

The substantially circular body portion 3U provides a flat upwardly exposed surface which may be directly decorated or printed so as to serve as a display surface for advertising matter and it also may perform the mechanical function of a bearing area for the thumb in the same manner as the cap 24 serves in the bent wire structure. However, if desired, a conventional crown `cap 44 may be crimped onto the body portion 30 of this opener; aportion of lsuch a cap is shown thus positioned in Figs. 6 and 7 and said cap 44 is shown in section in Figs. 8 and 9.

Figures 10 and 11 show another formV of opener made from sheet metal in which thebody portion 5G has a connected arm 52 extending downwardly therefrom at one side with a horizontally extending handle portion 54 bent laterally therefrom. A lug 56 extends downwardly below the plane of the handle 54 and is formed with a nib 58 at its lower end adapted to engage under the edge of a bottle cap. The stock for the lug 56 is obtained by cutting it from the area of the body 50 and the portion 52, leaving an opening 51 in the body, as seen in Fig. 11, and, in eiect, bifurcating the part 52 throughoutits length.. At the opposite side of the body 50 a depending lug 60 serves as the fulcrum to bear on the top surface of a bottle cap when the nib 58 is'engaged under the ange of the cap at the opposite side for prying it loose from the bottle neck. In this form of the device, as'in the others, a standard bottle cap 64 may be crimped over the body 5U to give the device an ornamental appearance and to provide an upwardly exposed fiat g surface which may be used for the displayfof advertising matter if desired. It will be evident, however, that if the cap 64 is omitted. the top surface of 4 the body 56 may be decorated in any desired manner and may carry an advertising message. In all forms of the invention herein shown it will be noted that the tool as a whole is relatively flat, the working parts being confined to the vicinity of the plane of the handle which represents the main bulk of the article; it can be conveniently stored with otherutensils in a drawer or can be hung on a hook when not in use. While there are shown and described herein certain structures embodying the invention and illustrative thereof, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto or thereby but'embraces all modifications, variations and .equivalents coming within the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A bottle cap remover comprising a body portion having a rst part depending therefrom to fulcrum on a bottle cap, a secondpart spaced from the rst and depending from said body portion to extend past the cap and adjacent its periphery, said second part being formed to engage under the edge of the ange of said cap, a handle lextending from said body in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the top of said cap, and a bottle cap crimped over the body portion and providing a reinforcement for the body portion and a smooth bearing surface of enlarged area relative to the adjacent portions of the cap remover for engagement by the thumb of the user.

2. A bottle cap remover formed of bent wire and comprising a pair of spaced bars adapted to extend in a plane approximately parallel to the top of a bottle cap and above it, said-bars being bent downwardly at one end and joined by a cross bar portionmeans on said cross bar portion for engaging under the edge of the flange of said bottle cap, the other ends of said bars being bent downwardly substantially parallel to said bent bars and at a point spaced from said bars a distance slightly less than the diameter of the cap to engage the top of said cap and thence extending laterally to forni a handle to lie approximately in the plane of the top of the cap, the bent portionsof the bars at the junction of said handle with the downwardly extending portions of the bars providing a fulcrum to bear on the top of the cap at a distance-from-the side at which the said cross bar portion engages the flange of the cap.

'3. In a bottle cap remover as defined in claim 2, said spaced bars being oppositely bent into concentric, arcuate form, having an external diameter substantially conforming to the internal diameter of a crown cap to adapt the same for receiving a crown cap.

4. A bottle cap remover comprising a body including a circular portion of external diameter substantially conforming to the internal diameter of a crown capv to adapt the same for receiving a crown cap, substantially diametricallyy opposite depending portions on said circular body portion one of which forms a fulcrum for engaging the top of a bottle cap when the opener' is in operative position and the other of which is of length suiiicient to extend below the bottom edge of a bottle cap when the remover is in operative position, means adjacentthe lower end of said second depending portion for engaging under the bottom edge of a cap iiange when the remover is in operative position, and a handle forming part extending from one of said depending portions in a plane substantially parallel with the plane of the circular body portion.

5. A bottle cap remover comprising a body including a circular portion of external diameter substantially conforming to the internal diameter of a crown cap to adapt the same for receiving a crown cap, a depending portion on said circular portion, a handle forming part on said depending portion extending substantially parallel to the plane of said circular portion, a second depending I,portion on said circular portion substantially diametrically opposite the rst mentioned depending portion and of length greater than the first mentioned depending portion by an amount approximating the height of a crown cap, and means adjacent the lower end of the second depending portion for engaging under the bottom edge of a cap flange when the remover is in operative position.

6. A bottle cap remover comprising a body portion having a first part depending therefrom to fulcrum on a bottle cap, a second partspaced from the rst and depending from said body portion to extend past the cap and adjacent its periphery, said second part being formed to engage under the edge of the iiange of said cap, a handle extending from said body adjacent the second part in a direction substantially parallel to the plane of the top of said cap, and a bottle cap crimped over the body portion and providing a reinforcement for the body portion and a smooth bearing surface of enlarged area relative to the adjacent portions of the cap remover for engagement by the thumb of the user.

7. A bottle cap remover formed of sheet metal and comprising a body including a circular portion of external diameter substantially conforming to the internal diameter of a crown cap to adapt the same for receiving a crown cap, substantially diametrically opposite depending portions on said circular body portion one of which forms a fulcrum for engaging the top of a bottle cap when the opener is in operative position, and

35 Number Name Date 55,878 Livermore June 26, 1866 922,702 Jopson May 25, 1909 928,156 Rydquist July 13, 1909 1,214,802 Low Feb. 6, 1917 y 40 1,324,830 Kryzanowsky Dec. 16, 1919 1,395,103 Goebel Oct. 25, 1921 1,490,149 Vaughan Apr. 15, 1924 2,106,639 Jenkinson Jan. 25, 1938 the other of which is of length sufficient to extend below the bottom edge of a bottle cap when the remover is in operative position, said latter depending portion having a terminal nib at its lower end to engage the bottom edge of a bottle cap ange when the remover is in operative position, and a handle rigid with said body and extending from one of said depending portions in a plane substantially parallel with the plane `of the circular body portion.

8. A bottle cap remover formed of sheet metal and comprising a circular body portin of external diameter substantially conforming to the internal diameter of a crown cap vto adapt the same for receiving a crown cap, a conventional crown type bottle cap secured over said body portion, said body portion being provided with a first lug depending from one side of said body, said lug having a terminal nib bent to engage under the edge of a bottle cap flange, and a second lug shorter than the rst lug depending from the opposite side of said body to rest on the top of the bottle c ap as a fulcrum, together with a handle rigid with said body and extending therefrom in a direction approximately perpendicular to the axis of the bottle cap.

RAY C'. DREIER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the ille of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

